Axionâs eyes looked between the two vampires standing before him.
Being at Platinum 3, both of them were strong. There was no doubt about that.
But the thing that puzzled Axion was vampires of such strength working against their own people.
It had to be known that vampires were one of the most dedicated races in terms of loyalty.
They were subservient towards their leaders, and wouldnât do a thing to harm the interests of the vampire race as a whole.
There were some differences even among the vampires, and many civil wars were fought too, but it was very rare, almost impossible, to find a vampire who was willing to work with individuals of another race, and that too against House Dracoth, which was one of the four ruling royal families of the vampire race.
"Why?"
The question left Axionâs mouth before he could process the words.
"Hm?"
No. 120 stepped closer upon hearing Axionâs question.
Looking at Axionâs eyes... there was a hint of betrayal in them.
"You are in the land of the Dracoths. These are our people that you are fighting against. Do you even know what you are doingâ"
"Oy yapper, just shut up, will ya?"
"Huh?"
No. 120âs words made Axion look at him with bewilderment in his eyes.
It was rare for vampires to disrespect members of their race who were stronger than them.
"I... I am a Diamondâ"
"I know it. That is why I called you delicacies."
No. 120 smiled while licking his lips.
He couldnât wait to drink the blood of all these peasants.
"You are betraying the ancestor, you are betraying the legacyâ"
"Sure, sure. So... do I have the permission, sir?"
Clapping his hands once, No. 120 made Axion quiet before turning to look at No. 5, who seemed to have recovered quite a bit in the meantime.
Adjusting his sword, No. 5 loosened his muscles to go for another round.
"Leave him aside."
No. 5 pointed towards Axion, who gripped his sword tightly upon seeing the shift in the atmosphere.
"The rest are all yours."
"But heâs the bigger fish."
No. 120 didnât move as he placed his hand on his lips, making a small pout, which wasnât visible from the mask.
Still, the message was clear, as No. 5 walked further.
"Kill the rest, then take him."
Swoosh!
The battle had begun once again.
Axion, knowing that his death was near, willed more mana through his muscles, making them explode with power.
Clank!
This time it was Axion who dominated the strike, as No. 5 was still using his mana in moderate amounts.
Using more mana to increase oneâs strength at the same time was a dangerous thing to do... but Axion couldnât care less.
He would at least try to kill the traitors before his imminent end.
Charging straight ahead, Axion quickly closed the distance, his sword moving swiftly, aiming to behead No. 5.
No. 5, noticing the attack, lifted his sword from the left side before raising the blade upward in order to deflect the attack, butâ
Axion dropped his sword midway as it bounced off No. 5âs blade, making him widen his eyes in realization.
But before he could move, Axion, having willed an extreme amount of mana through his body, charged toward No. 5 with an insane boost in speed.
Ducking down, he stretched his hands before grabbing No. 5 by the waist andâ
Now it was time for Axionâs pupils to dilate, as he couldnât lift No. 5 off the ground.
No. 5 silently smirked behind his mask before planting his foot on the floor to increase his grip on the ground.
It wasnât like No. 5 was inferior in close combat.
This time, using more of his mana, it was No. 5 who got into the aggressive mode, gripping Axion by the waist before lifting him up from below.
Axionâs legs were raised in the air, and No. 5, to his credit, switched to his next move.
Taking his left foot to the back, he twisted his body towards the left before aiming to slam Axion horizontally across the floor.
But just as he was about to follow through with the motion, Axion quickly bent his knees before grabbing No. 5 by the neck in a lock that was too perfect given the intensity of the situation.
Both fighters remained in the same position for a while, trying to gain the upper hand over their enemy.
No. 5, still having the advantage in numbers and with the boost received from the arrival of reinforcements, was at ease, so he didnât have to go to the extreme in order to defeat Axion.
Sooner or later, more of his men would be free, and that would allow him to easily turn around the situation.
But for Axion, on the other hand, the situation was becoming worse with every passing second.
He was using large amounts of mana to strengthen his body beyond its limits, and that was now showing its effects, as Axion felt his muscles burn with pain.
Still, he held on... he had to.
There was no way Axion was going to allow No. 5 to slaughter the troops sent by House Dracoth.
Though the enemy had received new reinforcements, Axion still believed in the capabilities of his men.
If only he could stall the Diamond 2 for some more time, thenâ
Axionâs face froze as, hanging upside down, he could now get a clear view of the scene unfolding behind them.
His menâ
It hadnât even been a minute, and most of his men were already downâ
No.
They werenât killed.
They still had life in them, but it quickly became crystal clear why their lives were extended.
The vampire... that damn traitor was sucking the blood from every vampire out there.
He wasnât even sparing the Gold cores, who should have little use in boosting his cultivation.
And his methods...
Axion closed his eyes in defeat, as he couldnât bear to see his men going through pain of such magnitude.